{"id":13264,"date":"2025-09-16T15:35:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T13:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swissmountainleader.ch\/home\/gta-carcoforo-rima-alagna-otro\/"},"modified":"2025-11-16T16:32:22","modified_gmt":"2025-11-16T15:32:22","slug":"gta-carcoforo-rima-alagna-otro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swissmountainleader.ch\/home\/gta-carcoforo-rima-alagna-otro\/?lang=en","title":{"rendered":"GTA Carcoforo – Rima – Alagna – Otro"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the trail of the Walser<\/h1>\n

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Thursday Carcoforo – Rima<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

With two private cars, our small GTA group drove up the Simplon into the awakening day, streaks of light in the sky, fantastic cloud images, our „adventure“<\/strong> could begin.
\nA first stop at Lago d’Orta, „vacation ambience“ with espresso and cornetto. In Carcoforo, the enjoyment was over and the challenging ascent began. The uppermost mountain peaks were shrouded in mist<\/strong>, the initial sunshine faded in our favor, because sweating was the order of the day. At the next stop, Sabine spoiled us with melon<\/g> and raw ham and was happy to get rid of some weight (from the rucksack, of course!). By the time we reached the Colle del Terma<\/g> after 3 hours (1100 vertical meters), the view was unfortunately obscured by fog. The descent to Rima was then gentle on springy<\/g> ground through pastureland and forest.<\/x>The picturesque little village on the valley floor delighted everyone – artistic craftsmanship, Walser architecture<\/g> and a well-preserved and well-kept village image were worth the effort of the day. We were in good hands at Signora Giovanna’s and enjoyed the cheese, the obligatory pasta and a tasty meat dish. Early to rise, early to bed!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Friday Rima – Alagna<\/h2>\n

After the tough start the day before, it seemed to be an easy day. The ascent to Alpe Vorco was no longer as steep, but still steady. Starting in the sunshine, there were fascinating<\/strong> views and once again dynamic clouds.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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We passed another alpine settlement where the stone houses almost merged<\/strong> with the rock face. Dominic explained a few things along the way and „leveled“ the path for us by giving the cattle a good talking to. Once we reached the Colle di Mud, something was brewing and we reached the Rifugio Santino Ferioli<\/g> in good time before the hailstorm started. After a minestrone, the sun shone again and we climbed back up to the Belvedere to admire the majestic Monte Rosa from the Italian side.<\/x>The descent was not easy for everyone, but everyone was looking forward to the Walser accommodation<\/g>, a wonderful house, „the living museum“. The day ended with a glass of grappa and a dinner that had been „dragged out“ over two days.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Saturday 1000 years of Otro<\/h2>\n

After a fortifying breakfast consisting of cheese, cold cuts and heavy Valais rye bread (after all, it was carried over two passes), we climbed up to Otro, accompanied by a large number of guests who were all taking part in the 1000-year Walser celebration. We were welcomed by musicians, listened to the speech and enjoyed the procession of representatives of the surrounding communities in their traditional costumes.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Titschi and Italian language pearls<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Dominic talked about the Walser people and their historical<\/strong> hikes. There was a lot of laughter over a beer at the party venue. Although we had already finished the tomato soup the previous evening, it was still an irritant, as Dominic detests it. We marveled at the village of Orto with its pretty<\/strong> houses before continuing up to the Belvedere<\/strong>. There, the crumbling mountain station and the mast that had grown into a tree were reminders of better times. Once again, we had a great view of Monte Rosa with the Italian mountain panorama.<\/x>On the way back to the fairground, I took the liberty of taking a look inside a tasteful wooden dream kitchen in a casa privata. We struck up a conversation with „locals“ and were „almost“ served a 9-litre bottle of fine beer<\/g> at the table of invited guests, including Giancarlo Giorgetti, il Ministro della Finanza, with his bodyguard della Guardia della Finanza.<\/x>We now descended quickly over roots and stones to Alagna. Gelato enjoyment and shopping, back to our house. Unfortunately, the hot shower was a thousand sheep away!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Sunday Val Vogna<\/h2>\n

In the morning, we took the private cars to the quiet Val Vogna<\/strong>, where we tackled our last stage of this year’s GTA – Grande Traversata delle Alpi<\/strong>. The valley welcomed us with quiet groups of hamlets, ancient Walser houses and the constant sound of the wind rustling through the treetops, which accompanied us throughout the day.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Our cultural highlight was the Museo Etnografico Walser<\/strong> in the village of Rabernardo<\/strong>. The carefully preserved rooms, tools and living rooms impressively conveyed how the Walser people had lived and worked here for centuries. You could almost feel how much history is contained in these dark wooden beams.
\nOn the way, we also touched the preparations for the Peccia 1325-2025 commemorative hike<\/strong> – a quiet, touching sign of how alive the memory of the historic Walser fate has remained in this valley.
\nFrom Peccia<\/strong> to Sant’Antonio<\/strong>, we finally followed a road that gently led us back to San Antonio and provided a peaceful end to our four-day GTA hike.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Dear fellow hikers,<\/p>\n

Thank you a thousand times over for these wonderful days with you. I really appreciated experiencing these four varied, happy and sometimes challenging GTA days together. They were special moments in many ways: <\/p>\n